Call for Applications: Leadership Fellows Program

Housed in the Graduate School Office of Well-Being, the Leadership Fellows Program is a dynamic educational experience that aims to:

1. Provide leadership development opportunities
2. Position and equip students to be effective change agents within the MSU community

Fellows form a community of leaders from across campus who are passionate about learning and creating positive change. 

Through dialogue, reflection, and structured activities, participants will deepen their leadership capacity, broaden their perspectives, and develop skills that support both success in graduate school and future careers.

Expectations

Leadership Fellowship Expectations:

• Participate in the LFP Orientation meeting held at the end of April (1 hour)
• Participate in the Fall Retreat held in mid/late August (4 hours)
• Participate in monthly cohort meetings to engage with program learning outcomes. These meetings will be held on Thursdays from 5-6:30 and attendance is required. Meetings will be held in person (90 min per month).
• Participate in monthly one-on-one mentorship meetings with Coordinators (30 min per month)
• Participate in a Huddle, a small group of Fellows, once a month (30 min per month).
• Create and manage a change-oriented project aimed at enhancing the well-being of the graduate student community (time per month varies, est. 1-3 hours per month). Past projects include:
  • Creating professional development workshops or community building events
  • Starting or advancing work in a Graduate Student Organization
  • Advocating for graduate student concerns to faculty and administration

Award

Fellows will receive a fellowship of $2,000 to help support expenses incurred during the course of the program and/or in the execution of the leadership project.

Funds will be dispersed at the end of the academic year upon successful completion of the program.

Duration

The 2026-27 Fellowship runs from August 15, 2026 through May 15, 2027. Due to the collaborative nature of this program, it is required that Fellows be geographically located in the East Lansing surrounding area.

Qualifications

Admittance to an MSU graduate or professional degree program and some prior leadership experience. Qualified candidates will be contacted with next steps, and final decisions will be made by mid-April.

How to Apply

To apply, please fill out this Qualtrics survey by March 14, 2026. You will need to address each question in 250 words or less, so it may be easier to prepare responses beforehand:

1. How would you describe your leadership style and what leadership skills/competencies are you hoping to develop?
2. If you could take action toward addressing one problem/challenge facing graduate students at MSU, what problem would you address? What action would you take and why?
3. Tell us a story about a time when you saw a problem and how you took action to address it (whether the result was successful or not).
4. Please briefly describe the other responsibilities you will have this coming year (assistantships, Fellowships, graduate student organizations, community service commitments, etc.). Can you dedicate approximately 6 hours every month to participate in this program?

Fellowships will be offered to applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to support the wellbeing of the graduate student community, a readiness to learn and grow, and clear potential for future impact as leaders. 

Please send questions to GROW Director, Dr. Meg Moore, at akehimeg@msu.edu.